The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-04-16
MOUNTED Fon USE.

Finally ms to the location. In this re-
spect the Lick telescope will have m ad.
vantage of which those who arc not
familiar with the working OF astronom-
tcal instruments can form but faint
idea. The astronomers worst enemy Is
the atmosphere. Even in the callncst
weather 1t is source of annoyance and
: a stumbling block 10 him. One can form
some notion of what the trouble is by
looking over n heated reach Of sands in
{ the summer or over the top of flas
] stove in which lively fire is burning and
4 noticing the waving and trembling mo-
Z ton OF the heated mir, which twists the
rays of light travcrsing it into confused
y blur. Similar motions and currents pre-
+ vailing in the atmosphere nearly all the
time arc magnilicd by the telescope until
their effect Is to destroy that sharpness
of vision which is needed in astronom-
ical observations. There arc two ways
OF getting rid-to some extent, at least
OF this annoyance. One way is to plant
your telescope In some part Of the world
where an equablc climate gives unusual
s'cadincss 10 the atmosphere. Another
way Is to climb up into o high mountain
and set your telescope above the denser
aud more troublesome layers of air.
Thirty years ago PiaZzi Smytll, tho as
trono,ncr royal for Scotland, made fa-
nous experiment which demonstrated
The effectiveness of the last.named cxpe.
dlent. lie went 10 the Canary Islands,
and dragging powerful telescope TO the
top of the lofty peak Of Teneriirc, set It up
there amid the pumicc stone and lava
blocks of that gigantic volcano. The as
Economical world was delighted with the
enthusiastic description that he brought
buck of the exquisite clcarncss and dis
'Inctncss of telescope vision upon the
mountain top. Yet 1t was not easy 10
md n mountain on which an observatory
could be built, and SO astronomers, for
HE most part, continued to do tho best
they could at the bottom of tho aerial
ocean, only aspiring in their hearts to be
inhabitants Of the limpid upper air.
Now the Lick telescope llas all tho nd.
vAn'agcs that como from both q high Gle.
yatlon and an cquable climate. Tho oh
Scrvatory stands on thcsummit of noun
IAN 1900 feet above the sen level. The
climate of TINT region is delicious; to the
astronomer exquisite. Mr.. Burnham, the
caslc.cycd discovcrcr of double stars,
went there TO test the seeing qualities Of
INC Mount Hamilton mir and was both
charmed and as,Onishcd. New double
stars fell into his catalogue like ripe
apples III an autumn night. 800
50 we sec that In every way tho great
telescope will possess an advantage over
most Of those now In existence, and in
''ie matter Of size 1t Is, OF course, unri-
vailed.
Next let us inquire what It win prob.
ably show. When talking of the pow.
"ts OF telescopes people naturally think
MfS' OF the moon. II II tho nearest Of
inc heavenly bodies, and In homo respects
me most interesting. Tho first celestial
"hJr'l that Calico turned his telescope
upon was the moon, and the delight That
l" %Ap"Nsc,i ut the sight of i1s plains
anu mountains has been felt increasingly
Wv hII observers since his time. Every
increase OF the power OF telescopes has
nt"N%ht 10 light new details in those
wonderful lunar landscapes. There Is II
H'lhbic ratio between Tho Msgnifying
ETp"rf OF n telescope and the apparent
Instance OF th1 object locked nj, which
4 renders II caSy 10 state TINT mower IN n
Il l",PHtr and cnsily.undcrBtoOd form. II
, telescope magnics 100 diamctcrs It will
fSm'uS ~ object apparently 100 times M
n,ar M II really IT, The nom distance
VI VIC nhou Is about 10000 miles. With
a 'lescopo mngniiying 100 dinlnc,crs It
n "WU,.n, therefore, appear 10 be brought
= ySllItih 2;,iOO miles Of tho carth Now The
a na ! telescope, under tho most favorable